The Countries Gambling Laws in Kuwait

Sports bettors, casino enthusiasts, and poker players who find themselves in Kuwait are in for a disappointment as gambling is illegal in this Islamic country. If players are that desperate to gamble in Kuwait, they can find several illegal gambling outfits and unscrupulous bookies, but they are advised against using their services.

A safer option would be to place bets at offshore online bookies or mobile casinos that accept residents of Kuwait, but even this is not that safe in a country that is fiercely unfriendly towards all gambling forms. Also, there are no mobile gambling services in Arabic.

A Gulf News report of February 2014 indicates just how unfriendly Kuwaiti authorities are against gambling activities. The report talks about the arrest of a Kuwaiti doctor who allegedly operated an illegal casino with the assistance of certain Europeans and Americans.

The Rise in the Popularity of Online Gambling

In June 2014, the ArabTimesOnline.com carried a report on the Kuwait Interior Ministry’s Criminal Investigations Department’s plans against gambling activities. According to the report, the department would investigate illegal gambling activities and prepare a report on the rising popularity of online gambling in the country.

The report also says that it has come to the notice of the government that several young people in Kuwait are fond of playing games such as poker, roulette, and blackjack online. Kuwaiti gamblers use virtual money purchased with real money to bet on these games, and there is no dearth of people in Kuwait who illegally sell virtual money to online gamblers. The government of Kuwait has plans to arrest these people and take legal action against them.

Change: The Future Looks Promising

Although the situation appears bleak for sports bettors and poker players in Kuwait, things are bound to improve soon. According to a report on Gamingzion, a Kuwaiti politician called Waleed Al-Nasser, who is contesting for the elections to be held this June, is eager to legalize the consumption of alcohol and gambling. Al-Nasser shocked the election department by revealing plans to convert certain Kuwaiti beaches into resorts, where foreign tourists would be permitted to gamble and purchase drinks. Currently, even foreign tourists are not permitted to consume alcohol and gamble in Kuwait.